Cyprus is the closest European country to Israel, located around 150 miles across the sea from the nearest point (Picture: Metro.co.uk)

The official government advice for people travelling to Cyprus has been updated, in the wake of the war between Israel and Hamas.

People thinking of visiting the Mediterranean island, the closest European country to Israel, are asked to be extra careful of time when they are on their way back.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office website reads: ‘Due to the current situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the airport operator is advising passengers flying out of Larnaca and Paphos airports to arrive at their terminals at least 3 hours before their flight’s scheduled departure time.’

Hermes Airports, the operator behind both of the facilities, says this advice is being given due to ‘additional security measures’ being put in place.

Larnaca and Paphos are among the most popular destinations for British holidaymakers travelling to Cyprus.

No other new formal advice has been given by the Foreign Office for travellers visiting the island.

An average of around 1.3 million UK tourists spend time on Cyprus every year, the largest demographic of the roughly four million who visit in total.

On Saturday, it was reported that four people had been arrested on suspicion of setting off a small explosive device near the Israeli embassy in the Cypriot capital Nicosia.

People flying out of Paphos will have to take note of the latest advice (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The country’s police said the suspects, who are aged between 17 and 21, face charges of attempted destruction of property using explosives, possession and use of explosives and possession of a knife.

They would not say whether they believed the bombing, which caused no damage, was related to the war in Gaza.

Officers said two of the suspects were spotted walking near the scene of the explosion, while the other two were sitting inside a car parked in a nearby alley.

All four will remain in police detention for six days until investigators can either formally bring charges against them or release them.

The advice for people visiting Cyprus has changed.